The Director General of the Land Reforms Commission (LRC), Padmasiri Liyanage, has been relieved of his duties following the exposure of major financial and administrative irregularities before the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE).
Deputy Minister of Lands and Irrigation, Susil Ranasinghe, said that Dineka Jayasuriya has been appointed as the Acting Director General.
A recent audit by the National Audit Office revealed that over 49 acres and 35.64 perches of LRC land had been allocated to 396 of its own officers, in plots of 20 perches each, at a token rate of just Rs. 1,000 per perch.
These allocations were made to staff with five years’ continuous service between 2009 and 2023 under this unusually low valuation scheme.
COPE hearings held on 24 July further uncovered that the LRC had transferred 25 acres of state land to a private real estate company at just Rs. 28.72 per perch, amounting to a total sale price of Rs. 101,109 for the entire parcel.
Members of COPE pressured LRC officials to explain these transactions, raising deep concerns over misuse of state assets and weak institutional oversight.